SNAPSHOTU.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., won the Democratic
nomination for president in July, the only Democrat left standing in a field
that at one time numbered 10. In winning the nomination, Kerry survived several
shake-ups of his campaign after former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean spent most of
2003 as the frontrunner. But the Iowa caucuses, and an ill-timed scream, doomed
Dean, and forced out Sen. Richard Gephardt. And Kerry rolled on Super Tuesday,
forcing his primary competitor, Sen. John Edwards, out of the race. In June,
Kerry named Edwards his choice for vice president.

Kerry did not get a large bounce after the Democratic National Convention in
Boston, and then in late August, the Republican Convention in New York, coupled
with a strong ad campaign by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, heavily damaged
Kerry, who never recovered from a sharp drop in the polls, even though the final
election result was close.

Cheney and Edwards face offThe vice presidential candidates meet in their one and only debate on Tuesday night. The event highlights the varying views voters have of how important the second on the ticket is to the presidency. (
10/04/2004)Independent organizations are scaling back political TV adsWith the election just a month away, many voters may feel like they're being bombarded with campaign ads. Yet one Twin Cities television executive says political ad buys are down from both the 2002 and 2000 elections. And some interest groups say they're not spending as much money on television ads this year. (10/03/2004)Giuliani unleashes on Kerry in Minnesota stopOn the heels of Sen. John Kerry's
strong debate performance, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani came
to battleground Minnesota on Friday hoping to reinforce doubts
about the Democratic presidential candidate's fitness to be
commander in chief. (10/01/2004)Nobel winner says Bush is politicizing scienceThe 2003 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry criticized President Bush on Friday for politicizing science. Minnesota native Peter Agre spoke to students and faculty at St. Olaf College on Thursday and the University of Minnesota on Friday. He is one of 25 leading scientists who are touring the country speaking about the future of science under the Bush administration. (10/01/2004)An analysis of the first presidential debateWe have analysis of George W. Bush and John Kerry's first debate at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla. We also play the debate, which focuses on matters of foreign policy, in its entirety. (
10/01/2004)What hath Hewitt wrought?The director of the first televised presidential debate watched the first 2004 presidential debate in South Dakota. Don Hewitt was at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. He was the recipient of the 2004 Al Neuharth award for Excellence in Journalism. Hewitt is the creator of the CBS news program "60 Minutes" and he produced the 1960 debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. (10/01/2004)Undecided voter still undecided after first presidential debateMany undecided voters watched President George W. Bush and Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry at last night's presidential debate. Polls suggest undecided voters make up roughly ten percent of the voting public, and could tip the election in many battleground states like Minnesota. Earlier this week, Morning Edition aired a story about Joe Raasch and undecided voter from Shakopee. In the story, he said he was looking forward to the debates to help him make up his mind. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Raasch who says the debate last night was not enough to get him to commit. (10/01/2004)Style as significant as substance in presidential debatesWho "wins" the first presidential debate may depend as much on style as substance. And when it comes to style, the two candidates differ a great deal. (
10/01/2004)Bush, Kerry clash on Iraq war in first of three debatesSen. John Kerry accused President Bush
Thursday night of a "colossal error in judgment" by ordering the
invasion of Iraq. "The world is better off without Saddam
Hussein," the president shot back in campaign debate, adding his
rival once said so himself. (09/30/2004)On eve of first Kerry-Bush debate, Cheney comes callingVice President Dick Cheney made a couple of campaign stops in Minnesota on Wednesday. In the Twin Cities suburb of Lake Elmo, Cheney met with a handful of small business owners. He defended the war on terrorism and talked about ways to make health care more affordable.
Later Cheney and his wife Lynne, appeared at a Town Hall Forum at a small plane manufacturer in Duluth. (09/29/2004)Slicing the spin: health carePresident Bush and Democratic presidential candidate Kerry have varying proposals on how the uninsured should be covered by health insurance and how much the government should spend. Midmorning's guests take a look at the proposals and what they might mean. (
09/29/2004)Campaign 2004: Health CareThe rising cost and lack of availability of health care is a huge problem. The solution has eluded Washington lawmakers for more than a decade. Both presidential candidates are talking about the problem and proposing dramatically different solutions. As part of a Midmorning series, Slicing the Spin, MPR's Mark Zdechlik looks at those differences. (09/28/2004)Preparing for a presidential debateGeorge Bush and John Kerry have scaled back their campaign activities this week in order to prepare for the first presidential debate on Thursday. Both campaigns have a great deal riding on the debates and are having their candidates practice their arguments against stand-ins for their opponents. We get a behind-the-scenes look at the preparations for some past presidential and vice presidential debates. (
09/28/2004)Heinz Kerry makes Twin Cities stopTeresa Heinz Kerry didn't talk politics during a
Monday afternoon visit. Instead she chatted with a group of kids
who work at a community youth garden. (09/27/2004)Countdown to the first presidential debateGeorge W. Bush and John Kerry have begun boning up for the first of three presidential debates, to be held on Thursday evening in Coral Gables, Fla. Their first face off focuses on issues of national security and is expected to draw more television viewers than either party's political convention. With more eyes glued to them than ever before in this election, what will the candidates be trying to accomplish? (
09/27/2004)